The new charter grants the government executive powers, but retains the king at the helm of the army, religious authorities and the judiciary and still allows him to dissolve Parliament, though not unilaterally as is the case now.
That falls far short of the demands of the “February 20” protest movement, which wants a constitutional monarchy where the king’s powers would be kept in check by elected lawmakers.
However, they have so far failed to attract the mass support of popular uprisings that toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt. They are urging Moroccans to boycott the vote and say a low turnout would back their calls for more radical reforms.
“I voted ‘yes’ because we have to obey the Commander of the Faithful,” retired Agriculture Ministry engineer Samira Denguir said in the middle-class Hassan suburb of the capital Rabat, referring to the king’s religious role.
Others disagreed.
“I’m not voting because I couldn’t get my voter card and to be totally honest I couldn’t care less. If they really mean good they would have done it years ago,” said market trader Younes Driouki, 29, heading to the beach with his surfboard.
Turnout stood at 60.3 percent by 5:30 p.m. — an hour and a half before the polls closed, according to the Interior Ministry. Results are expected early Saturday.
Only 37 percent voted in the last parliamentary elections in 2007 while in 2009 voter turnout was 52 percent in municipal elections.
“A large ‘yes’ vote with a high abstention rate or spoiled ballots is not a great result, and the monarchy, Makhzen and (political) parties know it,” said Lise Storm, senior lecturer in Middle East politics at the University of Exeter in England. The Makhzen is the royal court seen by many Moroccans as a largely unaccountable and shadowy political and business elite.
The 47-year-old ruler has had some success in repairing the legacy of human right abuses, high illiteracy and poverty he inherited after his late father’s 38-year rule ended in 1999.
Wearing a yellow robe and a red fez, the monarch cast his vote at a polling booth set up in the headquarters of Morocco’s anti-trust authority.
A staunch Western ally, Morocco has stepped up cooperation against terrorism and illegal migration, notably with the European Union which is keen to avoid the spread of militancy along its southern shores.
But while the king’s personal popularity is seen swinging many voters in favor of the reforms, the margin of victory could be eroded by resentment at wide disparity between rich and poor, and a sense of alienation from the political elite.
Results of an online poll conducted by independent portal Lakome.com showed 52 percent of 51,200 participants saying they would boycott the referendum. The vast bulk of the rest said they would vote in favor, but such a low turnout would raise questions over the credibility of the exercise.
